Drying Herbs; A.C.E. Class “What’s for Breakfast” concluded October 30; A. C. E Class “Cooking Basics 101” begins on Sunday November 6

Post Date: 4 November 2016

Drying Herbs

In a previous post I discussed drying some of my Basil and Oregano in the oven.  My good friend John Treacy then loaned me his jerky maker/dehydrator to try out.  He has made beef jerky, dried strawberries, and dried tomatoes, but never done herbs.  I will be trying it out soon, but I did notice some interesting this about temperatures.

When drying the basil and oregano in the oven, the instructions I downloaded from www.preservingyourhavest.com said to set your oven to its lowest temperature and leave the basil in for 2 – 4 hours and the oregano for 30 minutes, then check every 15. The lowest my oven goes is 170 degrees; the basil took about 1 hour 45 minutes; the oregano 45 minutes.  The lowest temperature the dehydrator goes is 95 degrees and its recommended time for basil is 20-24 hours and for oregano 15-18 hours.  I’ll see how it goes.

 

Bistro Lunch Concludes

 

 

We had 12 attendees for this class on Sunday afternoon, October 30.  The main course, pictured above, featured Bistro Steak with Lemon Basil Garlic Aioli, Baked Pommes Frites, and a quick Ratatouille.  We also made a warm Goat cheese and Pear Salad and a Strawberry Clafoutis for dessert.  Although we had a very ambitious menu with 6 separate items, the class managed their time well and had time to sit and enjoy the meal at the end.

 

Cooking Basics 101 Begins November 6

This 3 session class begins this Sunday afternoon at 1:00 PM at the Plum Center in Springfield, and continues for the next 2 Sunday afternoons, November 13 and 20.  Each class will feature a salad, a main course with vegetable and a dessert.  For the first 2 weeks we will be making a no bake dessert, and in the last class we will bake a loaf cake.  Each week we will use a different cooking method for the main course – the first week will be stove top; the second in the oven; and in the third we will start on the stove top and finish in the oven.

 

In our first session this Sunday we will make a Caprese Salad, Pan Fried Chicken Italiano with Blanched asparagus, and a Blueberry Ricotta Parfait.

 

 

Reminder – Instagam

Follow me on Instagram at #senseichef.  I look forward to your comments on my posts, culinary and otherwise.

Upcoming Classes

Here are my classes for the rest of the fall term.  The winter catalogue will be out soon.

November 6, 13, 20 – Sunday Afternoons – Cooking Basics 101 – Plum Center

December 6, 13, 20 – Tuesday Evenings – Quick Weeknight Dinners – Plum Center

 

To register for this class, or any ACE cooking classes, please go to:

http://www.fcps.edu/is/ace/specialinterest.shtml and scroll down to the Culinary section

 

While there, be sure to check out the other culinary courses offered by ACE’s excellent chef instructors.

Till next time, keep cooking.

Contact Chef Kevin at: KJBrady@fcps.edu